


A Game of Snake and Mouse

by NerdyPanda3126



Series: LBSC Sprint Fics [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Animal Traits, Awkward Kissing, Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, First Kiss, It's fixed though, LBSC SFC Secret Santa 2020, LBSC Sprint Fic Challenge, Major Character Injury, Making Out, Mouse Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Multimouse, Snake Luka Couffaine | Viperion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:21:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28119843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyPanda3126/pseuds/NerdyPanda3126
Summary: Viperion was not expecting Multimouse to show up for patrol instead of Ladybug.And he was not expecting to end up making out with her on the Eiffel Tower, either.When these two play a game of snake and mouse, who really loses?
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: LBSC Sprint Fics [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1978081
Comments: 48
Kudos: 146
Collections: LBSCSprintFicChallenge





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MalcolmReynolds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalcolmReynolds/gifts).



> Merry Christmas, Mal!!
> 
> I ended up using a little bit of each of your prompts, which were:
> 
>   * Guardian Luka
>   * Multipython/Vipermouse
>   * “It’s okay if your fangs get in the way when we make out, I actually kinda like it.”
>   * and “I’ve seen so many things go wrong… I just want something to go right.”
> 

> 
> I had way too much fun with this one and I think there might be a part 2...? Needless to say I failed the sprint challenge pretty epically, but I hope you like it!!

Viperion poked his tongue around his new fangs as he strummed his lyre and considered the lights of the Paris skyline against the black backdrop of the night. Ladybug had warned him that the longer he used a Miraculous, the more possibility there was for animal tendencies to bleed through into his civilian life. He had already started noticing a preference to bask in sunshine and a newfound aversion to cold. But fangs? He explored the sharp point carefully. Thankfully he had just started noticing these when he was transformed. If they showed up in his civilian life it was only a matter of time before someone noticed. 

His fingers faltered on his lyre as he realized who he’d been thinking of. And how he’d thought she might notice. He’d been thinking of Marinette. He’d been thinking of kissing Marinette. And he’d been worrying that these fangs would get in the way of her soft lips, or if they might hurt her. He bit his lip on purpose and winced. Yeah, definitely sharp. 

He shook himself to get rid of the image. It was a fantasy, nothing more. 

He and Marinette had been getting closer ever since she’d passed the Guardianship onto him and revealed her identity. She’d been seeking him out more and more, under the guise of helping him transition into his role, but she usually ended up talking to him about whatever was on her mind. Her heartsong had been lifting bit by bit, shifting from the melancholy one he’d known, burdened with purpose, into something like happiness. Although there was still always a chord of uncertainty running through it. 

Uncertainty of herself or of her decision to pass the responsibility to him, he couldn’t tell. Still, she’d never given him any indication that she wanted anything more from him. He was a friend, a shoulder, and a confidant. Nothing more, and he would never push it. So if he still heard her shy giggle like an echo in his ears, well, that was a fantasy, too. 

“Hello, Viperion,” a sweet voice sang behind him. So maybe he hadn’t imagined that giggle. He’d know that melody no matter what mask she was under, but he still wasn’t expecting to turn and find Multimouse, swinging her jump rope tail as she walked up, her gray suit clinging to her like a second skin and the pink accents following her every curve. How had he never imagined Marinette with her hair up in twin buns like that? It was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. Something in his expression made her blush, but she kept eye contact with him. 

“Fancy meeting you here,” she continued, although he could hear a nervous waver in her voice. 

He chuckled at her joke and stashed his lyre before he stood to meet her, brushing off the seat of his suit out of habit. He didn’t miss the way her eyes followed his movement any less than she missed him noticing her lingering gaze. 

He cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair as a flush of heat started creeping up towards the edge of his mask. “I thought I was meeting Ladybug here tonight.” 

“She thought I could take Mullo out for a run. You know, stretch my legs a bit.” To emphasize her point, she pulled her heel up behind her to stretch one quad, then the other. Her suit showed every taut muscle as she leaned to each side and he found himself swallowing thickly. Her eyes hadn’t left him, and a pleased smile was curling the edges of her lips. 

“Yeah, sure.” His voice came out in a weird croak and he cleared his throat again. “Uh, how about I run by the Arc de Triomphe, and you take a route over by the Louvre, meet back at the Tower?” 

She nodded and her teasing smile slipped into a grin. “Race you there.” She blew him a kiss before she ran the other way and dove off the roof to continue running on the next one. 

For a moment, all he could do was watch after her. Was she… flirting with him? He looked down at himself and ran a hand over the scales that accentuated his abs. She’d seen him as Viperion before, and nothing had changed about his suit. Except… he touched a finger to the sharp point that was barely sticking out between his lips. He shook his head again. He was losing the race, which was probably the reason for her little display. He turned and got a running start before he threw himself off the roof, rolling when he landed to pop back up and keep going. The night air whipped against his cheeks and through his hair as he ran. If she wanted a race, she would get one.

* * *

When he reached the Tower, she was already there, reclined against one of the beams and idly swinging her leg. She smiled again when she noticed him and began climbing up towards the viewing area. Even though he knew the Miraculous afforded extra strength and agility, and that Marinette had been Ladybug much longer than he’d been Viperion, he still admired the graceful, confident way she swung her body through the air; it was so entirely at odds with Marinette’s adorable clumsiness. 

Maybe that was the point, though. Maybe under this mask she felt less of the pressure of being Ladybug, but still had all of her confidence underneath a semblance of anonymity. Maybe that was why she’d seemed flirtatious earlier—not that she had been flirting with him, but if she was… 

When his boots hit the platform, she was leaning over the railing, pretending she hadn’t noticed him. He couldn’t help but smile at her attempt at nonchalance, but he could still tell she was holding tension between her shoulder blades. As he took another step closer, she turned and leaned her elbows back against the railing instead. 

“What gives, slowpoke?” 

“Sorry, got caught up in a game of snake and mouse.” He smirked at her when her cheeks pinked in the light of the Tower. “You know how it is.” Time to test his theory. Boldly, he reached out to wrap her jump rope tail around his hand before he flicked it away.

“That game usually doesn’t end well for the mouse.” Her words were shy, but her actions spoke otherwise as she took a step closer to him and traced the bottom of his mask with the tip of her finger. 

His breath caught in his throat. She  _ was  _ flirting with him. He licked his lips unconsciously, and her eyes went straight to his mouth. These were… uncharted waters. They’d have to talk about this. He’d have to ask her why she felt the need to hide behind a mask before she could tell him what she wanted. But right now, he had a growing curiosity to know what her lips tasted like. 

His throat was dry, and he had to swallow past the lump that had formed before he was able to find his words. “Why don’t you find out?” 

She swung her rope tail at her side as her gaze raked over him in appreciation. He dropped his eyes to her hand instead of her face to avoid the teasing grin that was widening with each second of her contemplation. The rotation of the jump rope was hypnotic as it blurred into a circle. He could almost hear it whooshing through the air, although it was competing with the frantic thundering of his heartbeat in his ears. 

“How do I know you haven’t set your Second Chance? Stacked the odds against me?” she asked slyly. 

He tore himself away from her spinning tail to find her eyes again. It must’ve been the effort of trying to follow the solid line whirling in a circle that was making him dizzy. Or maybe it was because he was barely breathing. He gulped in a breath of cold night air to calm himself. She raised her eyebrows and his hand flew to his wrist. He could. He could set his Second Chance now and if he screwed up, he could reset and get it right. As many times as he needed. 

His thumb twitched at the snake’s head. This was a test. This had to be a test. Marinette—Ladybug—Multimouse. Multimouse. Would never suggest he use a Miraculous for personal gain. He sighed and glanced back up at her through his bangs. She was watching him intently, biting her perfect pink lip as she waited to see if he would or not. He shook his head and smiled. 

“I only need one chance to catch you, petite souris.” 

He dared to take a step forward, closing the distance between them. She giggled and looped her tail around him to pull him a step closer still until he was pressed against her. 

“Is that so?” She was smirking at him. Marinette. Smirking. At him. “It seems to me it’s the other way around.” 

He gulped as she ran her finger along his collar, dipping down into the hollow of his throat along with it. 

“What’s the matter?” That giggle was going to be the absolute death of him. “Mouse got your tongue?” 

“I wish—” he choked out. Multimouse blushed the same pale pink as the bottom of her mask. He swallowed thickly again. He hadn’t meant to say that. Although it was hard to misinterpret her signals right now, she still hadn’t said… “Sorry,” he started, “that came out wrong.” 

“No, it didn’t.” She grabbed his collar and pulled him down to her. But she was too enthusiastic and his forehead banged against hers at the same time his fangs knocked against her teeth. He chuckled as she pulled away and clapped a hand to her head. Yup, still Marinette. When she had recovered, her eyes darted to his lips again. 

He tested the pointed tips of his fangs against his tongue. “Yeah, those are new…” 

She smiled again and pulled him back to her, gently this time, and although his fangs still got in the way, they fell into an easy rhythm and started ignoring them for the most part. Her hands slid into his hair as she pulled him closer, and his arm wrapped around her waist to do the same. Of all the times he’d wondered what kissing her would feel like—would taste like. Peppermint. He hadn’t expected peppermint. It was her chapstick and it made his lips tingle as he pressed kiss after kiss into those gorgeously soft lips. 

He sucked in a breath when he felt her tongue brush against his lips, and he parted them slightly. Her breath mingled with his before her tongue slipped into his mouth and he closed his eyes to savor the sensation—the warmth of her mouth against the icy chill of the night air hitting the remnants of her peppermint chapstick that lingered on his lips. 

“Ah!” She broke away with a gasp, holding a hand to her mouth. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what had happened until… oh. He’d gotten too excited that time and closed his fangs around her bottom lip. 

“Sorry,” he breathed, and the word came out in a cloud of mist.

“It’s okay.” She pulled her hand away and her lips were still curved into a soft smile and he found that he couldn’t, for the life of him, stop watching them now. He ran his tongue across his bottom lip, scraping against his fangs in the process, and he could still taste peppermint. Forever after that would be the taste that reminded him of Marinette. 

She stepped back into his arms and giggled when his hands clenched unconsciously at her hips. “I… I kinda like it,” she continued breathlessly. 

He sighed in relief and leaned forward to press his forehead against hers. “Really starting to wish I’d taken your offer and used Second Chance,” he muttered, although he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. 

She reached up to trace his bottom lip, taking extra time to outline the sharp points of his fangs. “But you don’t need a Miraculous to have a second chance,” she said, glancing up at him through her eyelashes. “If you want one.” 

As much as he liked—no,  _ loved _ —kissing her, that question was still in the back of his head and he couldn't help but wonder. Why the masks? Why the game?

“Marinette…” His breath came out in a soft sigh. “You’re killing me, here.” 

Her brow furrowed, and she started to pull away. He opened his arms to let her, although the chill of the night crept into the space she had occupied. Her reaction confirmed a suspicion that had been hiding in his intuition the whole time. Something was wrong.

"Is it because I kissed you?" 

"No, not the kissing, that was… well, more than I ever could have asked for, but I'm just…" He sighed. Out with it, Luka. "I'm worried about you." 

“Why?” He barely heard her. The only indication she had actually spoken was the cloud of condensation that left her lips. 

"Because… you kissed Viperion. As Multimouse." She took another step back and it physically pained him. "You could've kissed me any time you wanted. Just… why now?" 

She turned away to hide the flush of red that rose to her cheeks. He was starting to worry he'd pushed too hard when she finally sighed and looked back at him. "I wanted to get something right for once. Every time I try as Marinette it spirals out of control and I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want it to be like all the other times I tried to confess to—" 

She cut herself off just as she met his eyes. Viperion's eyes, tinged teal from Sass's magic. He schooled his expression and nodded. He understood. She didn't have to keep going if she didn't want to. 

She blushed again and her eyes dropped to their boots, and the space she had put between them."I guess I still managed to screw up, though, didn't I?" 

He shook his head and reached out for her hands. She put them in his and he pulled her a half-step closer.

"I'm still here." He rubbed his gloved thumb across hers as confirmation. "You can tell me anything, or nothing at all, and I'll still be here." 

She was biting her lip again. “I was hoping you would use Second Chance,” she admitted. “For me, though. In case I chickened out or spazzed or—” 

He leaned down to press another kiss to her lips, and she sighed as she wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him there. He pulled away after a moment, but stayed close enough to let his lips brush against hers as he spoke. 

“You can have as many chances to kiss me as you want,” he said, “as long as you never stop taking them.” 

She pushed up on her toes to kiss him on each corner of his mouth, to the side of each of his fangs. She giggled as she touched her heels back down, and when her eyebrows furrowed this time, it was because she was thinking and not because she was worried. 

“Are those there when you’re not transformed?” 

He chuckled and shook his head. “Not yet.” An idea struck him as her words from before came back to him. His smile grew until it was a lopsided grin. “But I thought you kinda liked them, didn’t you?” He leaned down as if he would kiss her neck, but brushed his fangs against the sensitive skin there instead. She shivered and shoved him away roughly, pretending to pout again. He couldn’t help but laugh. She was too cute. 

“Aww, come on, souris,” he said, baring his fangs in a wide grin. Her beautiful blue eyes widened as she realized he was teasing her. “What about our game?”

“No, uh uh.” She took a step back and put up her hands in defense, but she was smiling as she caught his tone. “I’ve decided. You win.” 

He took one more step forward and she squeaked, taking them both by surprise. Her hands clapped over her mouth. Almost instinctively. Like she’d… done that before on accident. Oh no. He groaned, and a flush of heat started to creep up towards his ears. 

“Don’t tell me that’s what’s come through for you,” he said. A slow nod, her eyes still wide. He laughed. “Yeah, that’s gonna cause a problem for me.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively. Her cheeks turned bright red under her fingers and she squeaked again when she caught his meaning. It was like an adorable hiccup, and it seemed entirely involuntary. He could not stop smiling. How was she so endlessly adorable? 

After an intense pause where they were both frozen, each taking in the other's flushed face and embarrassed smile, he laughed again and cleared his throat. "Okay, I'm gonna…" he gestured behind him, even though he was pretty sure the Liberty was in the complete opposite direction. "Yeah. I'm gonna head home." 

She nodded, her hands still locked over her mouth. 

"I'll see you soon?" He ventured. Another nod. He managed to smirk at her before he took a step back, then another. She was still standing there, watching him, when he finally turned his back to make his way back down the Tower, thankful for the chill in the air against his flushed cheeks. 

When he got back to his room, he flopped onto his bed and grinned at the ceiling. He could still taste peppermint, although he wasn't entirely sure if he had just replayed kissing her so many times already in his head that he was imagining the taste still on his tongue. He touched his fingers to his lips, as if remembering it for the thousandth time. 

Experimentally, he stuck a finger in between his lips to test his canine tooth. It didn't seem any sharper than normal, and his mind was already racing towards kissing Marinette again without the cumbersome fangs. 

There was no way he'd be getting any sleep that night. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka and Marinette get the chance to talk for the first time since they made out on the Eiffel Tower as superheroes and end up doing a little more kissing than talking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Uh... Idk how it happened, but this became a Thing 👀 
> 
> Anyway, hope you guys are ready for four chapters of lukanette making out 😅

He didn’t hear from or see Marinette again until a week later, when she showed up to help with Kitty Section practice, still wearing her disguised Multimouse pendant. He waved as casually as he could with his heart thudding in his throat and his lips buzzing, the taste of peppermint already on his tongue. She blushed and tripped over her feet, avoiding his eyes. 

When he walked up, he let his arm fall lightly across her shoulders, giving her a comforting squeeze as he did, and she jumped and made that adorable squeak again as a crimson blush painted her cheeks. 

She had a different chapstick on today that gave her lips a perfect red tint. He couldn’t help but lick his lips. Strawberries today. The scent was wafting off her and making his mouth water. When did she start wearing flavored chapstick? 

He blinked as he realized he had been staring at her lips. He gave her shoulder another squeeze and cleared his throat before he sat down. Juleka was glancing between them with a clear question in her eyes, but Luka steadfastly ignored her as Rose went over the new lyrics and Ivan tapped out the rhythm on his shoe with his drumsticks. 

Marinette stayed the entire time, sketching new costume designs in her notebook. Luka missed several chords when she nibbled on her lip in thought. His head was buzzing with thoughts of those lips on his, of strawberry and peppermint, of gorgeous blue eyes that made him forget his own name, of that adorable squeak she’d made, of pale pink blushes and—

It wasn’t until a balled up piece of paper hit him in the side of the head from Juleka’s direction that he snapped out of it and realized the whole band had stopped to wait for him. Marinette hid a giggle behind her hand before her eyes disappeared behind her bangs and she pretended she was absorbed in her work.

Juleka flicked her eyes from Marinette and back to him before she jerked her head at Marinette, implying that he should go talk to her. He shook his head in answer. They did need to talk about what this was, what they were, if it meant anything had changed. But he didn’t particularly want the audience of the band. 

So instead he just shrugged to apologize and the band picked back up where they’d left off. He kept his eyes on his fingerings and not on the incredibly distracting girl that had his entire heart and attention. 

After practice, he lingered on deck, waiting to see if she would want to stay and talk to him or if she would run away. He hadn’t entirely decided on whether or not he’d follow after her if she chose the latter. But he also didn’t want to push her if talking to him about it would make her nervous without the mask. 

As it turned out, he needn’t have worried. She walked right up to him. 

“You sounded great today,” she started. He could hear the nervous tremor in her voice. 

Juleka cleared her throat and grumbled that she was heading below deck and Luka nodded, thankful that his sister had at least a sliver of discretion. Although when Rose started to lead the way, he couldn’t help but smirk. Juleka rolled her eyes and flipped him off before disappearing downstairs. 

“Thanks,” he answered Marinette when they were alone. 

“Although you seemed a little… distracted?” Her eyes were alight with mischief and she giggled when he swallowed visibly. 

“Yeah, we have this mouse problem,” he said, although how he was forming words around his cardboard tongue he had no idea. “I thought I saw one on deck earlier, but I wasn’t sure.” He reached out to adjust her pendant before he met her eyes. “Funny thing is I could’ve sworn I’d caught it before.” 

A squeak escaped her before she seemed to be able to help it and that pale pink blush started to dust the tops of her cheeks. He gave her a warm smile and pulled away, afraid he’d pushed too hard. But she stepped forward, grabbed the lapels of his jacket, and pulled him down for a fierce kiss. 

And he melted into strawberry bliss. 

Without the fangs, he didn’t have to worry about being too excited, so he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing her like he’d never known what strawberry tasted like before it was on her lips. His tongue traced across her bottom lip, simultaneously licking off her chapstick and hoping to deepen the kiss. 

Her face scrunched as she giggled and pulled away to wipe her mouth. His knees were wobbling underneath him and he sat on an amp to avoid falling straight down. He kept a hold on her hand though and tugged her along with him, slotting her in between his knees to hold her close. 

“So I guess maybe we should talk?” he asked breathlessly. She nodded and squeezed his hand, from nerves or excitement he couldn’t tell. He tried to take a calming breath, but it just filled his senses with strawberries and he wanted to pull her into his lap and keep kissing her. 

“I really like kissing you,” he finally managed to admit. “And I’ll take every chance I can get. I just want to make sure we're on the same page before...” His eyes darted to those lips and a lovesick grin spread across his face. "Before I get too carried away." 

Another shy blush sprang up on her cheeks and he felt an urge to kiss her again just to watch it turn crimson. 

“I haven’t told Juleka," he continued, "or anyone, actually, because we hadn’t… I mean we didn’t really…” He gestured between them and she nodded as she caught his meaning. 

“I really like kissing you, too,” she said, which made his heart leap into his throat. “And I…” She bit her lip again as she met his eyes. “I don't care who knows it. If that’s okay with you, too.” 

His head was swimming and his heart was soaring and somewhere in the middle of all that his mouth managed to say “Yes,” so emphatically that she squeaked again before tumbling down into his lap to pull his face back to hers.

As he pressed kiss after kiss into those lips he’d only dreamt about for so long, his dopey grin came back before he could stop it. He tangled his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss, only vaguely registering that her hands were smoothing along his chest and shoulders before she slid them up to clasp around his neck, holding him to her. 

He didn’t care if he passed out from lack of oxygen, he wasn’t going to relinquish her lips first. 

Finally though, she pulled away to press her forehead against his fondly, brushing her nose against his as they paused. Her strawberry chapstick was long gone, but her lips were an even brighter red than before, flushed from kissing him. He pressed one more chaste kiss to them, chasing after her still, and she giggled as he peppered her cheeks with kisses, too.

“I really, really like kissing you,” he said with a chuckle into her ear. “I’m not actually sure if I can stop.” 

She surprised him by pressing her lips to the side of his neck and sucking lightly. A groan escaped him before he could help it. After a moment, she pulled back to admire her handiwork, tracing the new mark on his skin with the tip of her finger. 

"You did say I could have as many chances as I wanted," she murmured. 

He blinked at her. A foggy memory that they were superheroes swam through his thoughts. He was the Guardian now. She had trusted him with the responsibility. He should probably try to think about their next move on that front, but he found it increasingly difficult to think about anything but Marinette's fingers raking through his hair. He closed his eyes and hummed in pleasure. 

A small squeal made Marinette freeze and he turned his head to follow the noise. Rose had come up for something and she was practically vibrating with repressed romance, her hands pressed to her mouth as she tried to contain herself. Luka chuckled. 

"Let it out, Rose, it's okay." 

Rose's squeal grew in pitch and volume until it made him wince. At the end of it, she sighed dreamily and clasped her hands together. Marinette hid in his shoulder and he rubbed her back before he cleared his throat.

"Uh, did you or Jules need something?" 

"We were going to put a movie on, and Juleka wanted to see if you wanted to join us, but… I'll just… I'll tell her you're fine up here." She waved, grinning, and turned around to go back downstairs. 

"Good thing you didn't care who knew," he said to Marinette, still chuckling as he squeezed her to him. "What do you think, you want to go watch the movie with them?" 

She shook her head against his shoulder and sighed before she pulled away and stood up. "I should be getting home." 

"I'll walk you there."

He stood and laced his fingers through hers. She looked down at their joined hands before she took a deep breath. "I guess I should introduce you to my parents." Her eyes flicked up to meet his from behind her bangs. "As my… boyfriend?" 

It was just a word. But it was a word that made him feel like a plucked guitar string, thrumming with sound and harmony and pure happiness. He brought their joined hands up to his lips to kiss the back of her hand before he managed to nod. 

"Definitely." 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viperion's first akuma battle next to his new girlfriend affects him more than he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So since this is still a gift fic for the lovely MalcolmReynolds, I had to throw in some angst lol if only for the excuse to have Viperbug kisses followed by Vipernette cause... I mean is there ever enough Viperion?

"Second Chance!" Viperion called, resetting his timer for the third time. 

Desperately, he lunged towards Ladybug, tackling her to the ground just as an akuma blast exploded right where she'd been standing. He hopped to his feet instantly and tugged her with him, taking a step back and clutching her close to his chest as the side of the building crumbled away. 

"Third reset," he muttered in her ear, keeping a sharp eye turned on the akuma. "The explosions are problematic. We need to get close without attracting her notice somehow." 

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called. 

Chat Noir turned to look at her right as an explosion went off next to him, sending him sprawling to the ground headfirst with a hard crack. He struggled to lift himself up, then fell back down, unconscious. 

Viperion cursed and reset again. 

Tackle. Duck. Stand up quick. He shushed Ladybug by putting a finger to her lips. "Fourth reset. Don't call out." 

She nodded and he tapped on her Multimouse pendant wordlessly. She'd taken to wearing both, just in case, despite his protests. Although it did come in rather handy right about now. They needed Multimouse's ability to sneak up on this one. 

She nodded once more, short and curt, and combined her Miraculous before she looped an arm around his waist and slung her yoyo out as far as she could towards the rampaging akuma. They landed behind a billboard and Viperion detransformed, throwing Sass an egg and keeping an eye out at the same time. Without his suit, adrenaline and concern for his teammates pumped through him in equal measures, spiking his heart rate, making every minute feel like an endless second. 

Chat Noir was doing an excellent job of keeping the akuma’s blasts away from them, and Viperion was back in action within a few minutes. He set his timer and Multibug called on her Multitude power, shrinking as her clones separated. 

Viperion watched from his hiding place as Multibug snuck up from behind the akuma in all different directions. Another explosion went off and his eyes flicked to Chat Noir for the briefest moment, checking to make sure he hadn’t been hit. As per usual, Chat was being reckless, but in that calculated way of his, throwing himself just close enough before dancing away, playing cat and mouse with the akuma. 

Which is when things went sideways. Frustrated with Chat’s taunting, the akuma screamed and blew out a blast in all directions, scorching the rooftop they were on and blowing seven little Multibugs off their feet. Viperion’s ears were ringing as he watched Chat try to put his arms up in defense, losing his balance on his baton again as the aftershock of the explosion hit him. 

He fumbled at the snake’s head of his bracelet, his eyes stinging from the heat and the sudden onslaught of tears. None of the Multibugs were moving. He didn’t look any longer than he had to. 

“Second Chance!” he finally managed to choke out. 

Multibug had her jump rope in her hand, ready to call on Multitude and he stopped her, wrapping his arms around her to pull her close with his back turned to the billboard. 

“Wait,” he murmured, his voice thick with the emotion of having her back, having her safe, having her in his arms again. Losing Ladybug was par for the course at this point, not that he liked it, but it was his job to stay composed, and she counted on him to stay composed. 

To lose Marinette like that. He wasn’t prepared for it. Never wanted to be prepared for it. 

“Viperion…” she started, but he hushed her by squeezing her to him and pressing his lips to hers, hard. 

The akuma screamed. The resulting explosion rocked the billboard behind him, throwing him a step forward into her, and Marinette’s eyes widened as she clutched him tighter. 

“Chat’s down,” he said in her ear. “Go now.” 

She rushed to call on her power and Viperion stepped into the distraction role, pulling the akuma’s attention away as Marinette crept up behind her, too small to be noticed until the charm bracelet was thrown over to Viperion and he crushed it beneath his boot. 

All the tiny Marinettes combined again and Multibug called her Lucky Charm that they hadn’t used—a stuffed tiger, what would they have done with that?—before tossing it in the air. The magic Ladybugs washed over everything, setting it all right and fixing the damage from the explosions before Multibug captured and purified the akuma. 

As soon as it was over, she turned to him, smiling, offering him a fist bump, but he took her hand instead and tugged her to him again, capturing her lips in a kiss that said everything he couldn’t. He watched her eyes flutter closed, and she went up on her toes to return it, tangling her fingers in his hair. He barely registered that she tasted like vanilla mixed with the remnants of magic that clung to her, something like the air after a lightning strike, and he breathed her in, every second more cherished than the last. 

An obvious throat clear broke them apart, and when Viperion managed to tear his eyes away from Multibug, Chat Noir was helping the akuma victim to her feet with a teasing grin stretched across his face that didn’t meet his eyes. Before Viperion could say anything, Chat Noir waved him off with the excuse of helping the victim home before his timer ran out, even though he hadn’t used his Cataclysm and so didn’t have a time limit. 

“That’ll be an interesting conversation later,” Multibug mused before she turned back to him. “Cat’s outta the bag, I guess?” 

He groaned. “You’ve been hanging out with him too much—his puns are rubbing off on you.” 

“Sorry.” She giggled, then sighed. “I guess it was about time to tell him, though, don’t you think?” 

“I wasn’t really a fan of keeping the secret identity rule, anyways.” 

He traced her bottom lip where his fangs had nicked her in his rush to have her close to him. A tiny purple blister had formed where he hadn’t quite broken skin but definitely hadn’t remembered to be careful. Her fingers traced a nervous pattern at the base of his neck. 

“Was it bad?” she asked hesitantly. “You seem a little shaken up.” 

He shook his head, his eyes locked on that tiny mark on her lip, fighting for his words to come out normally past his dry throat. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

She caught the strain in his tone and her eyelashes fluttered as she looked down at their feet. “You can tell me, you know. I know it’s all okay in the end, but it must be hard to see—” 

“I know,” he cut her off quickly. Seeing it was one thing. Hearing Marinette talk about it was another. “I know,” he said again, softer this time before he rubbed her back and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. “I just can’t. It’s…” He sighed. “It’s different, that’s all.” 

She nodded as if she understood before her earrings started beeping and she brought her eyes back up to meet his. 

“I have to go.” 

“Be right behind you,” he answered her, reluctantly letting her step out of his embrace so she could sling her yoyo away towards the bakery. She glanced back once before she tugged on the string and she was gone. 

Viperion sat on the roof and laid his head back against the wall, taking deep breaths as his timer ran down. Normally he’d circle back to the Liberty to solidify his alibi, but he was still rattled and he wouldn't be able to hide it from Juleka. 

When Sass appeared, he gave Luka a long look before settling quietly on his shoulder and starting in on his egg. 

A horrible thought twisted Luka's stomach and he grimaced as bile rose in his throat and mixed with the words of his question. "Sass? When I reset… those timelines, they disappear, right? They're not… still out there somewhere? Happening even though I tried to stop it?" 

"It isss unwissse to ponder such thingsss," Sass answered, which wasn't terribly comforting. Luka frowned. 

Objectively, he knew Sass was right; he shouldn't think about the things that theoretically hadn't happened. It was over, the day had been saved, his job was done. But he couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere out there was a Viperion dealing with the aftermath of all the things he hadn't been able to stop. Every time he'd failed and lost Chat Noir or Ladybug. Lost Marinette. His stomach took another awful twist and he turned his head to retch off to the side. 

When the dry heaving subsided, he laid his head on his hand, closed his eyes, and focused on breathing. On being in the present. The cold, hard concrete underneath him. The breeze lifting the hair from his neck and wicking his sweat away. Even his still rolling stomach and his trembling hands. He was here, in this moment. He was okay. 

And so was Marinette. Back in her room by now, humming happily at her sewing machine, or helping her parents in the bakery, or maybe, if he was lucky, she was lounging on her balcony, waiting for him. 

He opened an eye when Sass laid a tiny flipper on his wrist by his bracelet. He'd finished eating and seemed to know where Luka's thoughts had fled. Luka nodded to him and pushed himself up to stand on wobbly knees before he transformed again and started his brisk run towards the bakery. 


End file.
